Software-type platform dedicated to internet site referencing

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a software-type platform ( 200 ) which is dedicated to Internet site referencing, i.e., the indexing of sites using Internet search tools that can be accessed by netsurfers, said platform comprising a database ( 228 ). According to the invention, the platform ( 200 ) is characterized in that it comprises a client interface ( 202 ) enabling the client or the manager of a referenced site to access the database, a consultant interface ( 226 ) enabling a consultant responsible for referencing a site to access the database and means which ensure that different data are supplied to the client or consultant user depending on the interface used to access the platform.

The invention relates to a software-type platform dedicated toreferencing Internet sites.

THE PRIOR ART

An increasing number of entities, such as businesses, associationsand/or private individuals, wishing to be present on the Internet toallow users of this network, referred to hereinafter as netsurfers,access to information offered by these entities.

For this it is necessary to have an Internet site, that is, a database,generally in the form of pages coded in Hypertext Mark-up Language(HTML), which is stored in a server connected to the Internet in such away as to permit the transmission of these data to a netsurferrequesting them.

To permit the realization of such a request, each site of the Internetis identified by an address of its own, called the Unique Response Link(URL).

Thus, a surfer can connect to the server stocking a particular site bygiving his navigator the URL of the site he wishes to consult.

However, frequently the address of the site that a netsurfer mightdesire to consult is unknown to him, especially when such consultationis made for the first time in view of seeking out one or more sites thatcan answer a request for information.

In this case it is possible to search for the URL by means of searchtools called servers or search engines present on the Internet.

For example, companies such as Google, Altavista, Yahoo, Lycos, MSN,Inktomi, Fast or Voila operate such search tools.

These search tools are Internet sites making it possible to order a URLsearch starting out from one or more key words, such that from this keyword or words a search server offers a list, called Web result, of sitesand their URLs so that the netsurfer can access one or more sites thatappear of interest to him, i.e., having a content pertinent to hissearch.

Given the extremely great number of sites present on the Internet, thesearch servers have an important role in the promotion of a site withnetsurfers.

For example, when a new site comes on line in the Internet, it isimportant to reference it, i.e., to assure that this site is indexed inthe databases of these search servers, so that netsurfers who have madea search, or request, by key words can be directed to this new site byselecting the URL of this site from the Web result.

In fact, the URLs in the Web result are coded in the form of a hypertextlink which permits direct access to the site corresponding to the URL bymeans of a mouse connected to a computer.

Furthermore, it is advantageous to the responsible party of a site forthis link to appear in the first responses from the list proposed by asearch server on the occasion of a request when the key words of thisrequest are pertinent to the content of the site.

In fact, it is acknowledged that a netsurfer rarely consults theresponses put forward by a search server beyond the 30^(th) or even the20^(th) response offered.

In fact, either this netsurfer finds a site matching his expectations inthe first responses proposed or he re-establishes the key words he chosein order to resume the search.

This is why a manager, called hereinafter a webmaster, of an Internetsite must check and find the referencing of this site in order topromote the frequenting of this site.

For this, this webmaster faces the problem of determining an Internetstrategy which, according to the content of the site and the attempts ofthe netsurfers, makes it possible to set up a list of key wordsassociated with the site, to which the content of the site mustcorrespond and with which the netsurfers' needs can be identified inorder that the search tool will guide the netsurfer toward this site viathese key words.

Furthermore, the webmaster must make possible modifications to thestructure of the site which can enable him to be identified optimally bythe research servers because, as will later be described, it is possiblethat a search server might be unable to reference a site because ofproblems inherent in the site's structure.

Moreover, since a search tool can index a plurality of sites of similaror competitive content simultaneously, the webmaster is facing theproblem of defining a website structure enabling him to figure among thefirst responses of a list of web results provided by a search tool.

For these operations of optimization to be taken into account by thesearch tool, it is indispensable that the webmaster subject the new siteto the search tools so that the tools will list the site in theirdatabases and provide it among the first responses to any pertinentinquiry.

Also, it is known that, to measure the referencing quality of a site, itis necessary to observe the visibility of this site, i.e., itsaccessibility by means of the search servers.

The visibility of a site is measured by observing, for a given key word,the appearance or classifying rank of this site in the list of resultspresented by a search tool.

Such an observation corresponds to measuring a parameter referred tohereinafter as the Index of the Rate of Penetration on the Net (ITPN).

To perform this observation, it is known to use specific software which,according to key words supplied, from a list of search tools selectedand of a particular URL, perform operations necessary to obtain theclassification of the site in the list of the proposed results.

This Index of the Rate of Penetration on the Internet (ITPN) measures,for each key word used by the site, the exact position which the site inquestion occupies in the Web results supplied by the various searchtools.

In other words, these results indicate, for each search tool and eachkey word, a rank of appearance of the site observed in the responsesproposed by the search tools to the request corresponding to one or moreof the key words supplied.

Thus, each result appears in the form of a triplet of data:

(search tool)/(key word)/(rank of appearance of the site in the tools).

For example, a search concerning a site “cosmétique.com” can beperformed in relation to 4 search tools named OR1, OR2, OR3 and OR4 andconsidering the following key words: cosmetique, maquillage, make-up.

The results of the search, provided in a data processing format specificto each software used, such as the CSV format, then takes a rough orsimple shape such as: Key word: cosmétique OR Classing maquillagemake-up 1 2 4 9 2 1 5 6 3 1 3 10 4 17 13 18

By analyzing this table it can be seen that, for example, the URL of thesite “cosmétique.com” appears in a less good position with the searchtool OR4 (17^(th), 13^(th) and 18^(th) position for the words‘cosmétique,’ ‘maquillage’ and ‘make-up,’ respectively, than withanother search tool, such as search tool OR1, or for these same searchwords, the URL of the site appears in 2^(nd), 4^(th) and 9^(th) place.

In like manner, such a table makes it possible that a key word, such as‘cosmétique’ or ‘maquillage’ is better referenced than another key word,such as ‘make-up’ in this example.

However, these crude or elementary results present the problem of beinggiven without any distinctive form permitting quick comprehension,direct by synthesis of the graded classifications of the site.

As a result, the consultant of a referencing business conducting a studyfor a client's account is forced to spend time in sorting and organizingthe information obtained by the specific software, consequently limitinghis availability for performing analyses of the performance of thesesites, for example with regard to the keywords most used by thenetsurfers.

In fact, the foregoing example concerns three key words and four searchtools, whereas one consultant must handle tens of them, even hundreds ofkey words in connection with tens of search tools.

Furthermore, it should be emphasized that the consultant is also obligedto translate the results provided by a specific software in a specificlanguage, such as CSV (Comma Separated Value, that is to say, valuesseparated by commas) to a more generalized language so as to be able toshare the results obtained by means of this software with these clients,this translation presenting the problem of again reducing the time thata consultant can devote to the analysis of the results.

The measure of the quality of the referencing of a site also requiresobserving the frequentation of this site, i.e., the number of netsurfersaccessing this site.

Now, the measurement of frequentation presents the problem that, when anetsurfer has accessed a site via a search server in which this site isreferenced, it is common for the netsurfer to enter into the memory ofhis computer, generally in the form of a “favorite,” the URL of the siteaccessed, in the degree of the importance of this site, thus avoidinganother search every time he needs to connect to this site.

In this case, that is to say, when this netsurfer connects to the sitein question, via its favorite, it is not possible for him to determinevia the search tool that this connection is made by means of the searchtool, which proves troublesome in tracking the frequentation of a site.

To this effect it is well to note that the measure of the frequentationof a site is, according to the prior art, performed by means of aspecific software called “TAG” hereinafter.

A TAG entered in an Internet page is thus a little script, or program,which is executed each time that the page is read by a netsurfer.

Since then it is possible to involve a counter which increases at eachrun of the script, that is, at each teleloading of the page by anetsurfer.

To accomplish a frequentation measurement there are some serviceproviders, such as Audientia, XITI, Estat or VocalCom SA, devoted tothis operation and presenting their results in form specific to eachsupplier.

However, as with visibility measuring suppliers, the operationsconnected with the measurement of frequentation require a great amountof human involvement in order to obtain from rough data the fine dataunderlining a phenomenon, such as an increase in the frequentation of asite which the consultant wants to place before his client.

If one considers that such a presentation of treated data is generallyaccompanied by the consultant's commentaries, it appears that this humanintervention is time-consuming, because thousands, even millions ofpages may have to be considered, as well as many visitors and anextremely great number of key words and sorting words.

In fact, the volumes of data to be dealt with by a consultant for ananalysis of visibility and frequentation are so great that they createmany problems. The number of clients that can be dealt withsimultaneously by a consultant is small, which presents the problem oflimiting the performance of a consultant doing these operations.

Furthermore, this amount of information to be processed limits the timethat such a consultant can allow for his analysis and therefore to thequality of his advice for situating or maintaining the site in a goodposition of visibility and frequentation.

Also, the storage of raw information is expensive for it requires alarge memory capacity such that this information is not generallystored.

As a corollary, the lack of data storage relative to a site overrelatively long periods of time, that is to say several months, preventsanalysis of the development of a site in terms of frequentation and/orvisibility, for example.

The large volume of raw data to be process also causes access to thesedata to be generally restricted to the consultant of a firm, who havinga certain experience in the treatment of these data is able to identifythe important data.

To sum up, it appears problematic that, according to the prior art, theoperations proper to referencing are analyzed manually from raw dataprovided by software programs, as described previously in connectionwith the visibility of a site.

After that, several days of work are required to conduct the followingof the referencing of each site. In fact, considering, for example, theanalysis of the visibility of a site, it is necessary for the consultantof a referencing service to handle the presentation of this informationso as to facilitate its comprehension and/or its interpretation, forexample by means of data displays.

Furthermore, it is well to note that the consultant is generally askedto provide commentaries on these displays so as to help the client tounderstand the phenomenon observed, which again increases the charge forhis work.

Also, this operation brings up the problem that, to produce thesedisplays, a consultant is constrained to use displays whose parametersare limited and predetermined so as to limit the time required for theacquisition of these displays.

Lastly, it should be noted that a consultant generally presents analysisreports in a similar form for different clients, that is, there existsno personalization of the results sent to a client, because this wouldmean an extra amount of work performed to the detriment of the thoroughanalysis of the client's Website.

On the other hand, for a site to be referenced in a search engine, it isnecessary to wait until this site has been run through by a program ofthe search tool called a “spider,” which runs through the site, readingits content and indexing its pages in the database of the search tool,these pages being associated with the key words.

Now, the spiders of the principal search engines run through the pagesof a site only every twenty-eight hours, on average.

On this account, referencing by means of a spider presents the troublethat it can take around twenty-eight days, without its being reallypossible to cover the time during which the site is not referenced.

These spiders also present the problem that they are unable to read thecontent and index the pages of only a static Internet site, that is tosay, one which is “frozen,” while it is not possible for them toreference all of the pages of a dynamic Internet site whose contentvaries.

For example, if one considers a site permitting access to the content ofa dynamic database, i.e., one whose data may very, this site thenappears only as a single page whose fields are fed with the content ofthe database.

Now, this site potentially presents as many pages as entries in thedatabase, while the spider can read only the single physical page, whichpresents the problem that its analysis will not take into account thereal content of the site, i.e., the content of the database.

Furthermore, it is known to put key words, referred to hereinafter as“metas” into the code of the Internet pages, intended to distinguishthese pages.

However, the number of key words that can be associated with an Internetpage is limited, generally to twenty key words, which does not make itpossible to precisely characterize the content of each page,particularly in the case of a dynamic site connected to a database ofseveral hundreds, even thousands, of entries.

THE INVENTION

The invention permits resolving at least one of the problems mentionedabove by putting together a set of capabilities relating to referencingin a unique platform of the software type.

This is why the present invention relates to a platform of the softwaretype devoted to the referencing of sites on the Internet, that is tosay, to their indexation by search tools for this Internet which areaccessible to netsurfers, this platform including a databasecharacterized in that it includes a client interface permitting accessto the database by a client, operator of a referenced site, to aconsultant interface permitting access to the database by a consultantresponsible for the referencing of a site, and means so that, accordingto the interface used for accessing the platform, distinct data may beprovided to the client or consultant user.

So, by means of the invention, the data relative to the referencing of asite can be shared directly among consultants and clients via their owninterfaces, which makes it possible to increase the speed with whichthis information reaches the client.

Furthermore, by using modules in the client or consultant interfaces, aplatform according to the invention permits filtering the crude data ofthe database to offer the client or consultant refined datacorresponding to the service which this client or this consultant wishesto observe, such as a frequentation measuring service and/or avisibility measuring service.

In other words, the platform acts as an analysis tool permitting thetransmission to the client and/or the consultant of data filteredthrough their interface to be discriminative of a sought analysis, thusfacilitating the work of the consultant and the reading of these data bythe client.

Furthermore, in one embodiment the platform combines a measurement offrequentation of a site with its referencing service in order toidentify and follow the performance of sites on the Internet. Thus, itmakes it possible to manage the classification of the site in the searchtools in the light of the frequentation which this positioning produces.

Such a platform therefore presents an intelligent interface, since it isdeveloping, ergonomic and personalized for each user (e.g., client orconsultant), integrating proprietary technologies specifically developedso as to combine the services previously described with servicessupplied by known technologies, such as software endowed with visibilityor frequentation in order to master and control an Internet strategy ona global scale.

The platform, designed by Holosfind, constitutes an innovativetechnological tool, different applications of which permit makingreports, or reporting, on the effects produced by referencing.

Holosfind thus makes it possible to implement an Internet strategy,then, to verify its deployment in order to assure a real advantage forthe site, this return on investment applying to each of thefunctionalities of Holosfind, viz., the various referencing andfrequentation campaigns.

Holosfind offers a synthesized representation of all of the results ofthe positioning of sites on the Web.

One thus benefits from a graphic representation aided by genuinepersonalized advice. It permits a quick visualization of thefundamentals of the visibility and traffic of sites. Holosfind is initself an interactive interface between the client and the consultant,since it makes it possible to remain in permanent contact with aconsultant devoted to the client.

All this information structured around the Holosfind technologyconstitutes a basis for decisions regarding webmarketing actions inconnection with a campaign for referencing and positioning.

Due to its advanced safeguarding structure, Holosfind can store all thedata from the beginning to the end of a job, for working out a preciseand transparent report of the data of which it is made up as the firstand the most complete in traceability, that is, following up in time theevolution of the visibility and of the traffic, or frequentation, of asite.

Hence, Holosfind is a tool providing help in reaching the decision,making it possible to identify the best opportunities in the matter ofweb marketing, and particularly in the identification of particularlyhigh-performance key words for referencing a site. For this purpose whatis wanted is a management chart that can be outlined for the directorsand managers in charge of marketing, communication and the Internet.

Holosfind represents a visionary tool making it possible to anticipatethe performance of ongoing campaigns. And of those still to come.

The Holosfind platform heralds maximum transparency and is conducive toa constant improvement of the client-server relationship.

The employment of the technology offers transparency and reactivity:since the analysis and trustworthiness of the pertinent results aremanifested on a console, it highlights a pledge of know-how and leads toconscientious conduct.

In one embodiment, this referencing is performed according to aparticular method called Holosfind Connecting Indexing, which makes itpossible to analyze the content of the clients' Internet sites, bothdynamic and static, to translate them to XML language and associate withthem an unlimited number of key words.

Once they are set up, the sites are registered, by the platform, not bythe search tool, in the databases of the said search tools.

So, due to the platform according to the invention, it is possible toreference a site in a few hours, whereas with a classical referencingaccording to the prior art, it is necessary to wait for the “spider” tofinish, which can take as much as twenty-eight days.

With this method, it is therefore possible to reference all of a dynamicsite. The platform furthermore comprises means for “tagging” thereferenced sites according to the HCI method, to make it possible tomeasure frequentation due to the search tools in which the HCI methodhas been employed. This permits billing for the service according to theresults of the said method.

The platform according to the invention therefore includes means forproducing automatically, beginning from crude data files, presentationtables and graphics relative particularly to the results of the ITPN ofa client.

Thus, the consultant's work is concentrated on analyzing the figuresproduced by these measures. The invention therefore makes it possible toreduce the time needed to track the visibility of a site from severaldays to a few hours.

Furthermore, the platform includes means for assisting in the analysesand the writing of commentaries by the consultants. For this purpose itincludes a knowledge base, called a “Virtual Brain” hereinafter, fed bythe preceding commentaries of these consultants, and associated with aprofile of results.

Thus, when this same profile of results is detected, the platformproposes one or more commentaries that are able to correspond to adetected profile.

In this way the consultant has refined data and commentaries on which hecan develop an analysis, which enables him to be more effective.

Similarly, the platform can comprise means to aid in the analysis of themeasurement of the visibility or frequentation of a site, particularlyby cooperating with the known software devoted to operations relating tofrequentation or visibility of a site.

Moreover, depending on how it is carried out, the platform of theinvention may offer many advantages for:

Personalizing the presentation of the results to a client, for exampleby means of color and/or displays of specific analyses.

Measuring the performance of the consultants using the base,

Measuring the performance of a site in terms of visibility and/orfrequentation,

Presenting the results in real time,

Integrating into one and the same working platform the results ofdifferent software operating under different programming languages inorder to generate a document grouping these results under a singlepresentation easily accessible to the client.

In one embodiment, the platform includes means for analyzing thevisibility of the site in all of the Internet network, the visibility ofa site being its (or their) rank(s) of appearance or classification ofthis site in the list of the results proposed by one (or more) tool(s)in response to a key word.

In one embodiment the platform includes means for analyzing thevisibility of a site by means of specific or dedicated software which,on the basis of key words supplied from a list of select search toolsand a particular URL, carry out the operations necessary for obtainingthe classification of a site in the list of the results proposed withrespect to suggested search tools.

In one embodiment the platform includes means for automatically shapingvisibility data presented in a dedicated data processing format, such asC.S.V. (Comma Separated Value) in a generalized language such asHypertext Markup Language or in the form of a document image, forexample in ‘pdf’ format to make them easily available to the client orto a consultant via his interface.

According to one embodiment, the platform includes means for insertingimages and means for commenting on the data presented, at the consultantinterface, these images and these commentaries being transmitted to theclient via the client interface.

In one embodiment the platform includes means for modifying thepresentation of results via the client interface, particularly in theform of displays and/or graphics, and means for selecting as key wordsexact expressions (key words with quotation marks), parts of anexpression (key words without quotation marks), or combining the two.

According to one embodiment, the platform includes means so that theconsultant interface will carry, within the visibility module, at leastone of the following modules:

A “ranking” submodule permitting selection of data relating to theclassification of a URL in relation to search engines,

An “evolution” submodule permitting the filtration of crude data tofurnish data related to the development of the visibility of a site indifferent periods of time so as to identify variations of visibility,

A “competitors” submodule making it possible to present, at the client'srequest, visibility studies relating to sites competing with his site,

A “warranty” submodule permitting the filtration of the crude datarelative to the client to supply data relating to the nature of theservice requested by the client, and

A “help” module providing information regarding the use of the platformin order to understand its operation.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means for referencing a site ina quasi-immediate manner by recording this site in the database of aresearch tool.

According to one embodiment the platform comprises means for reading thecontent of a client's Internet site, coded in HTML, to translate it intoXML format and record it in XML in the database of a research tool.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises means for translating anInternet site into XML language in the following stages:

a) Reading the content of the site, particularly its dynamic content,

b) Generation of URL addresses for all the pages of the site. For thispurpose it is well to note that these URLs are generated for any type ofpage, including dynamic pages.

c) Association of a title, of key words, a description, a detaileddescription, and a TAG with each URL created.

d) Generation of an XML document grouping together all this information,

e) Integration of an anti-spam filter, i.e., a document intended todeceive the search tool, to adapt the XML document to the search tools,and

f) Direct submission of all the data formatted in XML language forreading by the “spider” of each search tool concerned, in order topermit it to perform a faithful indexation of all the data contained inthe document to be published in the lists of the search results.

According to one embodiment, the platform comprises means so that theTAG generated by the platform and inserted into the XML document permitscounting accesses to the site via the search tool in which it isreferenced.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means so that the clientinterface shows the number of accesses detected by the TAG in real time,for example in “click report” or “performance” report submodules, aswell as means for consulting an index of the principal technical wordsemployed.

According to one embodiment, the platform comprises means for selectinga time period, for example a week or a month, to which the resultspresented in terms of access relate.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises means for accessing anensemble of analyses relating to the consultations or visits of a site,such as the number of visits in a day, the number of new visitors, theduration of these visits.

According to one embodiment, the platform comprises means so that theclient can consult, via the client interface, the list of search enginesconsidered, the number of visits which each engine generates, and thelist of key words considered.

In one embodiment, the platform includes means enabling the client tohave access through the client interface to the pages consulted by thenetsurfers and/or to a recapitulation of the navigation type of thesenetsurfers on his website.

According to one embodiment, the platform includes means to enable theclient to see, via his interface, an analysis of the languages in whichthe consultations of his website have been made, as well as thedistribution, in terms of his time belt, of these consultations during aday.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises means so that the client canconsult, via his interface, technical information relating to thenavigators and/or to the platforms used by the clients for consultinghis website, enabling him to improve or adapt his site to thesenavigators.

In one embodiment the platform comprises a complete identificationsystem of a websurfer accessing a site, in real time, making itpossible, for example to know the data relating to the host from whichhe makes his consultation, to know on what page he is in a site, and theduration of his consultation, the headings or products which he isengaged in consulting, and/or to get in touch directly with thiswebsurfer via a system, such as a chat, i.e., a window of communicationin real time so as to exchange information in text mode and/or to sendhim files in a different format (text, sound or video) during the onlinechat or dialog.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises means to enable the client tofollow the progress of the work done by the consultant in relation to apredetermined plan.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises means for offering thefollowing services to a client through its interface:

a) The consulting of information concerning the client's Internet site,and the consultation of referencing and positioning information relatingto the site or sites of competitors.

b) The consulting of strategic orientations jointly decided upon by theclient and the consultant.

c) Consultation on the title and description of a site, carried out by aconsultant, appearing in the search engines as well as the pertinent keywords to which the site seeks to respond.

d) The transmission to the client via the platform, of pages optimizedfor a site by a consultant.

e) The submission to a client site, directly into the windows ofsubmission provided for this purpose by each search engine.

In one embodiment the platform includes means to enable the consultantto select, via an interface, different types of postings, charts,personalized for example with the distinctive colors of a client.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means enabling the consultantto access all of the services provided by the platform to a client, aswell as to additional services such as the name of the client site, itsURL, the client's login enabling him to connect to the platform, hispassword, the current phase of the referencing process, as well as anindicator of delay in this phase.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means enabling the consultantto have access to a specific “Holosfindoperator” which permits a client,such as a telecommunication network, to have functions, restricted andadapted to his bylaws, to consult a field of client sites belonging tohim and which are treated with white marks by the referent company.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means to enable the consultantto trace from statistics on the results of each site to the operator andto his clients, and inform the operator of statistics about thedistribution of his products in his inventory.

In one embodiment the platform comprises an administrator interfacemaking it possible to create, modify and eliminate users from theplatform (client, consultant, optimizer) as well as files managed by theconsultant.

In one embodiment the platform comprises a system, called “virtualbrain,” making it possible to provide, on the basis of results on thevisibility or frequentation of a site, one or more commentaries whichcan serve as a basis for the consultant's reflection, these commentariesbeing determined by comparing these results with the results recorded ina database and associated with commentaries.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means for generating pages ofthe platform accessible to a client on the basis of data coded in theJava programming language.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means for printing the pagesbeing consulted, providing help or an index of the principal technicalterms employed as well as access to the documents by downloading.

In one embodiment the platform comprises means for restricting access bya client to only those modules for which this client has signed up forthe service associated with the consultant.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in thedescription given below, by way of illustration and not restrictive,with reference to the drawings attached hereto, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram representing a process for the generation of pagesemployed by a platform according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional representation of the structure of a platformaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b, 3 c represent the hierarchical organization of thefunctions of a platform accessible to a client according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are examples of the appearance of analysis pages relatingto the referencing furnished by the client interface, and

FIG. 6 is an example of the presentation of a page of analysis relatingto the referencing provided by the consultant interface.

FIG. 7 is an example of the presentation of a page of analysis providedby the administrator interface, and

FIG. 8 is a diagram representing the advantages of different programmingtechnology with regard to the platform according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In this preferred embodiment of the invention the different pages 101(FIG. 1) of the platform that are accessible to a client 102 aregenerated on the basis of data coded in the Java programming language,which makes it possible to generate these pages with reliability asdescribed hereinbelow with the aid of FIG. 1.

The pages 101, called Java Server Pages (JSP) hereinafter are stored ina server such that their generation is carried out by this server 102containing the platform and not on the computer 103 of the user remotelyaccessing the pages of the platform.

The user thus connects to the platform via the Internet 104, by sendingthe server 102 a request 105 for a page.

The “JSP servlet engine” 106, situated on the server 102, then executesthe Java code contained in the file JSP 101 to generate the code HTML107 sent to the user's navigator via the Internet 104.

The server 102 represented in FIG. 1 uses the Apache application in thisembodiment. In fact, Apache is a server having few known securityfaults. In fact, as soon as a bug or security lapse is detected it isquickly corrected and a new version of the application is published.

Apache furthermore has many functionalities including the possibility ofdefining a configuration specific to each file or shared reference, aswell as defining restrictions of access by means of an Apacheconfiguration file thanks to “httpd.conf,” files, that is to say anApache configuration file making it possible to define rules in adirectory and in all of its sub-directories.

So it can be used to protect a directory with a password, to change thename or the extension of the page used as index or also to block accessto the directory.

It would be good here to describe the technological choice of dataprocessing languages used in this platform design.

The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) was one of the first server-sidepractical technologies for the dynamic creation of HTML pages. The Webservers implementing CGI act as a bridge between the user's request andthe data requested. To do this the server first creates a new process inwhich the program is executed.

It then loads the necessary execution environment as well as the programitself. Lastly, it transmits an object request and calls up the program.At the end of tie program the Web server reads the response from thestandard outlet.

The major problem with CGI programming is that it is not at allreactive. Each time a Web request is received by the Web server, a wholenew process is created. The creation of a process for each of therequests takes time and important server resources, which limits thenumber of requests that a server can handle concurrently.

ASP (Active Server Pages) is a Microsoft script language enabling thedevelopment of dynamic and interactive Web server applications. It is ascript language interpreted on the server side, not on the client sidelike Java scripts or applets which execute them in the navigator of thesite visitors.

Thus, the Active Server Pages are entered in a 3-tier architecture,which signifies that a server supporting the Active Server Pages canserve as an intermediary between the client's navigator and a database,permitting transparent access to the latter thanks to ADO (ActiveX DataObject) technology which supplies the means necessary for the connectionto the database management systems and to the handling of the data bymeans of the SQL language.

The basic problem with ASP is that this technology is proprietary; itcan be used only with a Microsoft Web server (IIS, PWS) and with aMicrosoft operating system (Win9x, WinNT). There are crossovers to otherplatforms and Web servers, but their engagement detracts from theirinterest.

The third technology for the creation and management of the dynamiccontent is PHP (Personal Home Pages). PHP is similar in operation toASP: sections of script are enframed by special markers and incorporatedinto an HTML page. These scripts are executed at the server before thepage is sent to the navigator.

PHP uses C syntax and provides an effective and simple support for thecontrol of types and access to the database.

It also has extensions enabling it to communicate with other resourcessuch as electronic messaging and the directories. Unlike ASP, PHP is,however, independent of the platform and exists for the differentversions of Windows, Unix and Linux. The deciding factor is that it isfree and therefore “open-source.”

Although it has more advantages with regard to the above language, PHPnow has problems: it does not have a debugger to facilitate the searchfor errors at the time of execution. Furthermore, PHP has gaps in regardto the handling of types of data.

Java Server Pages (JSP) are technologies at the server end, using toeobject-oriented language Java. The JSP's operate at the same level asthe CGI and the server-side script languages such as ASP OR ELSE php.They therefore permit handling requests and supplying a client with adynamic HTTP request.

JSP's have many advantages over other server-side technologies. First ofall, since this is a sturdy and effective Java technology, JSP's work onany platform, all the more because they are independent of the Webserver.

Another main trump card of JSP's is re-use, which makes it possible tocreate components encapsulating services thanks to Java Beans and EJB(Enterprise Java Beans), so as to be able to reuse them in futureapplications.

The JSP code is executed in an application server, also called a JSPmotor. The JSP motor runs through the JSP code and generates acorresponding servlet unless one already exists. It then invokes theservlet and sends the content obtained to the Web navigator.

The programmer thus needs not fret about technical details such asreconnection to the net, the setting up of the response to the HTTPstandard, etc.

Lastly, the JSP's can use all the Java API's in order to communicatewith outside applications, connect to databases, access input-outputsetc.

An application server is a server inserted between a Web server (towhich the clients are connected) and the firm's information system. Sothe application server dynamically generates Web pages for the usersconnected from heterogenous information collected in the firm'sdatabases.

The role of the application server is to handle all of the client'sinterconnection tasks, such as the distribution of the charge among aplurality of servers and the management of connections to the databases.

The technologies most often used by application servers are based on“Enterprise Java Beans.”

Lastly, the great strength of application servers is in proposing adevelopment environment in order to automate and generate code skeletonsmaking it possible to implement predefined objects.

Among the most widespread application servers we find JRun, Tomcat andResin.

JRun, published by Allaire, is a complete Java application server. Ittakes charge of the most recent standards of the industry for thedevelopment of applications made up of Java, JSP, Beans, Enterprise JavaBeans, or applications of static content such as HTML pages and otherresources.

Its open design has enabled it to operate with a great number ofexisting Web servers, particularly Apache, Microsoft Information Server(or IIS), Microsoft Personal Web Server (PWS) and Netscape. With JRun itis possible to deploy Web sites associated with a dynamically generatedcontent on nearly all platforms (Windows 9x/NT/200, UNIX, Solaris andLinux).

Tomcat, of the Sun company, is a JSP/Servlet engine of the Apachefoundation, used in the execution of the Java servlet and the JSPtechnologies. Tomcat turns on a very large number of different operatingsystems, it is very well integrated with the Apache server (but alsowith others such as IIS), and it is available free of charge. It followsfrom these features that it is very easy to get literature on thisservlet engine. Furthermore, it is not necessary to demonstrate theefficacity of the Apache Web server with which it is generallyassociated.

Resin, of the Caucho company, has a great many advantages: it supportsthe main Web servers on the market (iplanet, IIS, Apache) and hasimportant tools such as XSL and XML support for managing model documentsand even supports Version 2.3 of API of the servlets (which is only inthe proposal stage). However, its use pays if it fits into a businessframework.

A Web server is software permitting clients to access Web pages from anavigator installed on their remote computer.

A Web server is thus a simple software capable of interpreting HTTPrequests arriving at the port associated with the HTTP protocol (port 80by default), and or providing a response with this same protocol. Themain Web servers on the market are PWS, ITS, Apache and NetscapeEnterprise.

PWS is a Web server strongly connected to Microsoft technology. PWS canbe employed under Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. The PWS software can beused in two different ways.

It can serve to host a very low-traffic site (to share documents on theIntranet of a business, for example). It can likewise serve to test asite before transferring its content to the Internet Information Server.PWS does not allow handling more than a limited number of simultaneousconnections.

IIS is a Web server centered on Microsoft technology. Contrary to PWS,IIS can take charge of several simultaneous connections. Some of thelargest Internet Web sites resort to IIS. IIS cannot be used underWindows 95 or 98, but only under Windows NT Server or Windows 2000Server. It is included with both these operating system.

The server of Netscape Enterprise, for UNIX and Windows NT is veryadvantageous for Extranet designers because it permits encryptedtransmissions, since it allows users to serve different Web serversusing the same server on the same machine.

The Netscape server likewise has a relatively safe certification system.It is furnished with a search tool and has direct connections with somedatabase protocols.

However, Netscape Enterprise does not furnish the source code for theserver, which limits us in the choice of our level of personalization.This server is today one of the most expensive on the market.

Apache is the fruit of a great number of software corrections for thepurpose of making it a very safe solution. In fact, Apache is consideredas having few known faults.

So, as soon as a bug or security lapse is detected, it is quicklycorrected and a new version of the application is published.

Apache now has many functionalities including the possibility ofdefining a configuration specific to each file or shared directory, andof defining restrictions of access by means of httpd.conf files.

The file httpd.conf is an Apache configuration file making it possibleto set rules in a directory and in all its sub-directories. It can beused to protect a directory with a password, to change the name or theextension of the index page, or also to prevent access to the directory.

The present-day data processing environments within businesses arecomplex and need an open, high-performance and expandable relationaldatabase management system (SGBDR).

This system must be capable of operation on different platforms, must beeasily expanded according to needs, support strategic transactionalapplications and be equipped with open interfaces authorizingintegrations.

This choice permits bypassing the problems of the file system and toprofit by a number of advantages:

Integrity: We are able to specify rules to be respected by the data. Adatabase management system (SGBD) can control the amount of its datafurther ahead of and beyond the means offered by the applicationprograms.

Security: The data can be protected against unauthorized reading andwriting access.

Recovery from crashes: The database is protected against materialfaults, disk crashes and some user errors.

Sharing among applications: Multiple application programs are able toaccess and manipulate data in the same database. A database is a neutralmedium that facilitates communication among isolated programs.

Extensibility: Some data can be added and reorganized to increase speed.

Data distribution: The database can be a partition created at varioussites, at different enterprises and different material platforms.

Support of transactions is already programmed by the designers.

The middleware is based on client-server communication techniques; itprovides the connections between the data servers and the developmenttools at the client stations. This layer of software conceals thenetworks and associated communication mechanisms. It safeguardscollaboration between client and server.

The middleware, in terms of architecture, is defined as being anensemble of software services built on top of a transport protocol so asto permit the exchange of requests and associated responses between theclient and the server in a transparent manner. It thus makes it possibleto mask the heterogeneity of the components involved.

Transparency to the networks: all the networks must be supported (LAN,WAN, etc.). The mediator intervenes on top of the carrier layer of theOSI model.

This can be of the TCP/IP or other type; it can permit the setting up ofsessions and the exchange of messages through the session layer or elseby the sending of isolated datagrams.

Transparency to the server: The middleware must be capable of concealingthe diversity of the SQL dialects which are often different, and ofmaking the languages uniform by basing itself on standards.

Transparency to the languages: The middleware must permit theintegration of the functions of connections to the servers, the sendingand reception of the results in any language of development used at theclient's end.

The best known data middlewares are: Object Linking and EmbeddingDatabase (OLEDB), ActiveX Data Object (ADO), Open Database Connectivity(ODBC) and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).

OLEDB is a group of interfaces which access the data with any type ofdata and from several sources of data using the OLE Component ObjectModel (COM). In fact, OLEDB permits access to the relational andnon-relational data, as for example the XML files, the Microsoft Officedocuments and the mails.

OLEDB allows access to the relational or hierarchical data, persistentor volatile, based on SQL or on another request language. In spite ofthe functionalities which it offers, OLEDB technology has faults:

Immature and unstable technology;

Not based on a standard;

Microsoft's proprietary technology, not available on UNIX.

ADO is an extension of OLEDB, not a different access strategy. It canaccess a pilot ODBC through the OLEDB-ODBC bridge and greatly simplifiesthe development, but indeed the problem of portability to non-WIN32platforms remains persistent.

ODBC is a software layer for allowing an application transparent accessto a database. The use of an ODBC architecture proved practical when wehave several different SGBD's which we want to access in a way madeuniform.

In fact, ODBC technology permits an application to be interfaced in astandard manner to any database server, if the latter only has an ODBCdriver.

ODBC is also the standard most supported by the operating systems foraccess to the data. It is based on the specifications of the SAG CLI andANSI/92 SQL6. The drivers on the client's end are available on Windows,Unix and Macintosh and other environments.

JDBC is a Java API (group of classes and interfaces defined by SUN andactors of the database domain) permitting interaction with therelational databases with the aid of Java via SQL requests. This APImakes it possible to reach SGBD's (MySQL, Sybase, Oracle, Informix,etc.) in a quasi-transparent manner.

The group of classes which implement the interfaces specified by JDBCfor a particular database manager is called a pilot JDBC. The protocolsof access to the databases are proprietary, so there are several driversfor reaching different databases.

These drivers, of four types, can be written entirely in Java andtherefore they can be remotely loaded, or else they can be implementedby using native methods to accede to the libraries providing access tothe existing data.

In a client-server system, access to the databases with JDBC can becarried on according to a two-layer model, or else a three-layer model.

JDBC offers several advantages:

Complete API for dynamic SQL;

Many conversion functions;

Multiple pilots: 2-tier, 3-tier conversions, etc.

However, JDBC has deficiencies:

No type verification with respect to the database;

The results are not Java objects.

In view of these elements, it appears that, to select the appropriatelanguage for developing the platform, a number of criteria must beconsidered:

Security: Security consists in keeping sensitive information in thehands of authorized users.

Performance and Power: The performance and the power of a languagedepend on its compiler and its cycle of execution.

Portability: The portability of a language depends on the platform thatsupports it.

Functionality richness: The number of functions which a language canperform.

Simplicity of development: The ease of development offered by alanguage.

Support cost: Support is the majority of the free time.

Memory consumption: Allowing the space it uses during execution.

Re-use: This is the fact that a program that is run can be used byanother program without being obliged to program it again (like the Javaapplets).

To outline the classification of languages on the basis of thesecriteria, the following coefficients have been attributed to them:RATINGS COEFFICIENTS High 1 Good 0.5 Fair 0.33 Weak 0.25

By making the weighted sums of the coefficients of the selectedcriteria, we obtain the graph represented in FIG. 8.

In the light of the information presented in the state of the art andthe rating per criterion of choice found in the comparative study, JSPtechnology proves to be the most adequate. In what follows the choice ofthe different tools connected with this technology is justified.

The choice of a server depends essentially, aside from performancesregarding the service of content other than that of Servlets, on twocriteria: the version of the supported API Servlet and the version ofthe JSP's.

In fact, the more recent are the API Servlet versions and the supportedJSP's, the more we will be able to benefit from their usefulfunctionalities.

Here the operating system selected does not count in the selection ofthe Servlet engine because, since this type of server is (generally)programmed entirely in Java, any operating system providing animplementation of the virtual Java engine is considered to work.

Our choice is the application server, JRun. This is an important choicesince it is today the most widely used in the professional world.

Since we have chosen to couple JRun to a Web server, we will have to payattention to the Web servers supported. The PWS and IIS servers are nota good choice for they are strongly tied to only Microsoft technology.

Among the most widely used Web servers, Apache software is presently theHTTP server most widely used on the Internet. Provided with numerousfunctionalities, a good performer and free, Apache then constitutes avery interesting choice for our application.

MySQL is a Database Management System (SGBD) operating under Windows andLinux. This system is one in which it is possible to store data in astructured manner and with the least possible redundancy. MySQL alsomakes it possible to provide multiple simultaneous connections.

However, MySQL does not provide integrity of the data and therefore itdoes not assure the safeguarding and restoration of the data, which thenmakes the processing of data less trustworthy, on the one hand, and onthe other hand it accelerates the processing of the data.

The choice of MySQL is based mainly on the speed with which itmanipulates data and its tolerance for multiple simultaneousconnections. We can then say that this choice contributes fully to theoptimization of the site.

Since we have chosen the JSP technology, the middleware to be used mustnecessarily support JAVA language. The JDBC middleware would then be themost adequate since it adapts well to JSP technology.

In the embodiment described here, the platform offers differentinterfaces accessible by different users. Particularly, the platformincludes a client interface, otherwise called “front office,” enabling aclient to consult the data furnished by the platform, while a consultantinterface enables a consultant to process, update or consult data storedin the platform, particularly the data to which his client has access.

As will be described further on, access to the platform through thevarious interfaces is under security, this secured access including forexample means for the user to avail himself of a log-in and anassociated password so that the platform can verify that the passwordmatches the log-in.

Furthermore, in accord with this last log-in, the platform directs auser to access to the corresponding interface.

Representation of a Platform According to the Invention

FIG. 2 schematically represents the platform 200 according to apreferred embodiment described below.

According to the invention, this platform has a client interface 202enabling a client 204 to access four services of the platform,hereinafter called modules, viz.:

A first “Webpositioning” module 206, intended to show results relatingto the visibility of a site,

A second module 208 “HolosFind Traffic” for evaluating the frequentationof a site.

A third “Find Process” module 210 for tracking the progress or scheduleof the work.

A fourth “HCI Report” module 212 for indexing clients' web pages.

These different modules are accessible via client interface 202 with awelcome page comprising means for the selection of a client's Internetsite being referenced, particularly if the client 204 has several ofthem.

After this selection, the client 204 accesses a second welcome pageenabling access to the modules referred to above, and described lateron, the data presented in each module being relative to a client siteselected in the preceding step.

In this embodiment, the platform 200 comprises means for permittingaccess by a client only to the modules which this client has signed upfor with the referencer, the other modules being masked.

Webpositioning Module 206:

The “webpositioning” module is dedicated to the analysis of thevisibility of the client's Internet site. In other words, this modulepermits presentation of the results of an ITPN measurement.

For this, the data presented are regrouped in a file in the CSV(comma-separated value, i.e., values separated by commas) which can beaccessed by a consultant hired by the client.

Furthermore, the platform includes means 214 for automatically puttingthe data present into this file, and particularly to transpose it fromthe data processing format in which dedicated software supplies theresult, such as C.S.V., into a generalized language such as HTML or inthe form of a PDF document permitting the data to be rendered availableto the client via his interface.

It should be noted that the consultant in charge of the site in questionintroduces these data into platform 200, and then has them put into formin the database 228 of the platform.

Furthermore, the platform 200 includes means at the consultant'sinterface 226 for inserting images and means for commenting on the datapresented.

To assist the consultant in this operation the platform includes means222 for producing from the data and commentaries present in theplatform, a recap data processing document in a format enabling a userto download and/or simply to print this recap, such as the “pdf” formatof the Acrobat company.

Furthermore, the platform 200 includes means (not shown) for modifyingthe appearance of the results, particularly in the form of tables and/orgraphs, and means for selecting as key words the exact expressions (keywords with quotation marks) or parts of an expression (key words withoutquotation marks), or a combination of the two.

Thus, this document can be transmitted via Internet and/or printed, thenmailed to a client.

To comment on the data the platform comprises a system 220, called theVirtual Brain, making it possible to furnish, based on the automaticobservation of the profile of the visibility results obtained bycomparison between this profile and profiles recorded in a database, oneor more standard comments that can serve as a base for the consultant'sreflection.

Moreover, the platform includes means for modifying this commentary soas to adapt to the situation.

When the new commentary is validated by the consultant 208, thecommentary is recorded with a profile of associated data, thus feedingthe knowledge base called Virtual Brain.

In the preferred embodiment, the webpositioning module 206 of theplatform comprises five submodules, as shown in FIG. 3:

a first “Ranking” module making it possible to select data relative tothe classification of a URL for the search engines.

This “Ranking” module permits visualizing the results of the ITPNmeasurements as well as the different analyses written up by theconsultant for the client.

The ITEN measurements are presented in the form of an impact count, oneimpact corresponding to the appearance of the client site in the list ofresponses to a request for a keyword on a search tool.

Furthermore, the results are to be organized according to severalcategories, viz.:

a) “Top 1” in which the hits where the site appeared first are counted,

b) “Top 10” in which the hits are counted where the site appeared amongthe ten first responses, and

c) “Top 20” in which the hits are counted where the site appeared amongthe 20 first responses.

The results of each of these categories are shown on independent pages.A commentary by the consultant 208 can be added in each case.

A second module is “Development,” which permits filtering the crude datato provide data relative to the development of the rating or visibilityof site according to different periods of time so as to identify thevariations of visibility.

In this example, this submodule permits access to the ITPN studies ofthe preceding months.

A module called “Competitors” makes it possible to submit, at theclient's request, ITPN studies concerning sites that compete with hissite.

A module called “Guarantee” makes it possible to filter the crude datarelating to a client to provide data relating to the nature of theservice requested by the client.

In fact, this submodule makes it possible to submit the results of theITPN study in relation to the results covered by one of the guaranteesthat may be signed by client 206 in case the latter has subscribed tothis service. In fact the client 206 can see whether the results coveredby the guarantee have been achieved.

A module called “Help” which makes it possible to furnish reportsrelating to the use of the platform 201 so as to understand itsoperation.

The platform furthermore provides means for printing the pages that arein consultation, provide an aid or an index of the principal technicalterms employed, as well as access to the PDF documents produced,available for consultation or for downloading.

FIG. 4 represents an example of presentation of a ranking in thecategory “Top 1” included in the “web positioning” module of the clientinterface.

In this example, this page includes a menu permitting navigation indifferent modules and submodules of the platform.

Furthermore, the page contains a table showing the results of the ITPNmeasurements, viz., the name of the search tool, the appearance class ofthe client site in the responses and the key word looked for.

Since this page is an example of the presentation of the “Top 1”category, the appearance ranking of the hits in this list is therefore,of course, the first.

A platform according to the invention permits the results of thevisibility measurement to be offered in different forms.

There is a noteworthy provision for a presentation organized by keywords as well as according to the list of the pages of the client site,which are indexed in the search tools.

Furthermore, it is to be emphasized here that, generally speaking, aclient cannot modify an element of the database 228 of the platformthrough the client interface.

In fact, as described further on, such a modification can be carried outonly by an administrator equipped with a password enabling his identityto be checked.

Module HCI 210:

The module HCI 210 is dedicated to the practice of referencing by aspecific process called HCI, which uses means for reading the content ofa client's Internet sites, coded in HTML language, to translate them toXML format and record them in the databases of the search tools.

In other words, the HCI process permits referencing a site in an almostimmediate way by recording this site in the database of the search tool,which represents an extremely great saving of time in comparison with areferencing method employing a “spider,” as previously described.

The process of translating the Internet sites into XML languagecomprises the following steps:

Reading the content of the site, particularly its dynamic content

Generating URL addresses for all the pages of the site. For this purposeit should be noted that these URL's are generated for every type ofpage, including dynamic pages.

Association with each URL created of a title, of key words, of adescription, of a detailed description and of a TAG.

Generation of an XML document grouping together all this information

Integration of an anti-SPAM filter, i.e., one intended to deceive thesearch tool, to adapt the XML document to the search tools.

Direct submission of all the data formatted in XML language to be readby the spider of each search tool involved, so as to permit the faithfulindexation of all the data contained in the document to be published inthe list of the search results.

Furthermore, it is well to recall that a TAG is a little script (orprogram) which is executed each time that a web page containing this tagis read, that is to say, is downloaded.

In the present case, the TAG's generated by the platform and insertedinto the XML document make it possible to count accesses to the site bymeans of the search tool in which it is referenced.

In fact, when a netsurfer clicks on a link to the client site in thelist of responses proposed by the search tool, this tool records datarelating to the user and to his consultation.

The latter, who therefore acts simply as a counter which increases uponeach consultation, permits him to know the number of accesses to thesite produced by the referencing according to the HCI process on a givensearch tool.

The “HCI report” module of the client interface makes it possible topresent the results of the referencing by this method. For this, thismodule includes submodules, “click report” and “performance” as well asmeans for consulting an index of the principal technical words used.

Lastly, it includes means for selecting the period—the week, forexample—covered by the results presented.

This “click report” submodule makes it possible to present the clientwith the results of the number of accesses (or “clicks”) to his sitefrom the search tools where it was referenced by the HCI method.

These results are available under four categories, namely:

“Top 1” grouping the clicks by which the site was first referenced bythe search server, i.e., the number of “clicks” obtained from the sitesreferenced in first position by a given key word,

“Top 10” and “Top 20” respectively, grouping the clicks for which thesite is referenced among the 10 first responses, and the 20 firstresponses, respectively, by the search server, i.e., the clicks obtainedstarting out from the sites referenced between the first and the tenth(twentieth, respectively) position.

and “evolution” making it possible to present the variations of thevalues over a chosen period of time, from a few days to several months,that is, the figures of the “click” results obtained in the precedingmonths.

Furthermore, HCI has a control device making it possible to see thecount in a cumulative way for the interval in real time, i.e., theclient can see immediately the increase in the number of visitors ateach click.

Holosfind traffic 208 Module

The Holosfind traffic 208 module makes it possible to access acollection of analyses relating to consultations or visits of a site, asdetailed below with the aid of FIG. 3 b.

In a “visit” submodule a client can access information such as thenumber of visits in one day, the number of new visitors, the length ofthese visits.

Furthermore, the client can consult data relating to consultations ofhis site through a search engine.

More precisely, this client can consult the list of search enginesconsidered, the visit number which each engine generates and the list ofthe key words considered.

According to another module, the client can access the pages consultedby the netsurfers and/or a recap of the typical navigation, i.e., of thesuccessive consultation of different web pages by a netsurfer on his website.

Lastly, the client can consult all of the pages put out, i.e.,downloaded by a websurfer.

According to another submodule, a client can consult an analysis oflanguages in which the visits to his site were carried on, as well asthe distribution, in terms of time zone, of these visits in one day.

Lastly, the client has technical information relating to the navigatorsand/or to the platforms used by the clients for consulting his web site,which enables him to improve or adapt his site to these navigators.

Thus, the client can assure himself of compatibility between thestructure of his Internet site, and particularly his programming, andthe tools of the websurfers visiting his site.

In fact, generally the module “Holosfind traffic” 208 offers tools forimproving the site by knowing the needs and/or the behavior of thewebsurfers visiting his site.

For example, depending on the type of navigation, the webmaster of aclient site can update the succession of the most frequently consultedpages so as to simplify the consultation of his site.

In FIG. 5 there is shown an example of a client page issued from thetraffic module. Posted on this page are data relating to the number ofpages viewed, the number of visitors over a given period of time and aprevious period of time, as well as the variation between these twoperiods of time.

Furthermore, the consultant in charge of this site has inserted a noteon commentaries concerning these figures, this note being obtained, asexplained before, by means of an Assistant 230 for the analysis, calledthe “Virtual Brain.”

The system of measurement of the Holosfind platform also includes amodule called traffic live having a system for the completeidentification of a visitor, in real time, making it possible, forexample, to know the data relative to his host from which he makes hisconsultation, to know on what page he is in a site and its duration, toknow the items or products which he is about to consult, to puttinghimself in direct contact via a system such as a chat, i.e., a window ofcommunication in real time, in order to exchange information in textmode and send files in a different format (text, sound or video) duringthe chat or dialogue on line.

Traffic Live has functionalities permitting the personalization ofdialog windows and the maintenance of various and varied files adaptedto each part of the site.

On this account, forms, complementary reports and decision aids, as wellas any kind of documentation can be programmed to achieve, thanks tothis tool, a real client relationship adapted to the product or servicebeing sought.

For example, when a websurfer wants to select a destination for travelon a site devoted to travel, the life traffic system can establish acontact aiming to help in choosing his destination or to find aparticular promotion through an information message, or also to get aform to him on the customs regulations and health regulations of hisdestination.

Going further, the client can make a three-dimensional visit to a hotelroom which he gets from the contact information, or listen to theofficial tune chosen for the Carnival of Rio in order to promote thisdestination or provide a realistic impression.

Due to this flexibility, this example might be applied to the mayor of aParisian arrondissement who would provide birth reports ordered on line.

Technically, such an operation is possible due to the use of a tag inthe site's pages.

Find Process Module 212

The “Find Process” module 212 makes it possible to follow the progressof the work performed by the consultant.

This module includes five submodules, as shown in FIG. 3 c, viz.:

A first submodule, “Audit,” which contains a submodule, “Info Site,”allowing consultation of the data relating to the client's Internetsite, and a second submodule, “Competition study,” making it possible toconsult referencing and positioning data relating to competitors' sites.

A second submodule, “Strategy,” which makes it possible to consider thestrategic orientations decided conjointly by the client and theconsultant.

Thus it is possible to consult the title and the description, made by aconsultant, appearing in the search engines as well as the pertinent keywords to which the site tries to correspond.

A third submodule, “Engineering,” contains a submodule, “optimization,”making if possible to send to the client, via the platform, theoptimized pages, by a consultant, and which the client must place andput on line in his server, that is to say, at the root of the branchingout of his site, and at locations determined according to each case, soas to make the reference strategy operational.

This submodule keeps track of all these operations and alerts theconsultant automatically to any time for going on line which the clientmust observe.

A second submodule, “Submission,” permits putting a client site directlyinto the submission windows provided for this purpose by each engine,selecting the specific headings and categories in which the informationis to be submitted.

A fifth submodule, “Planning,” to permit following the progress ofoperations relating to the client, as part of temporary planning.

A final submodule, “Help,” which makes it possible to provideinformation concerning the use of the platform so as to understand itsoperation.

Furthermore, each module or submodule includes means for printing ordownloading the pages being consulted, providing help or an index of theprincipal technical terms employed.

The Consultant Interface

The consultant interface described below in connection with FIG. 6, iscomposed of a first welcome page proposing different means for filteringthe files according to the consultant using the interface, and means forposting a list more or less abbreviated.

It furthermore includes means for making an intuitive search into thedifferent clients and files.

Furthermore, it includes means for selecting different types ofpostings, or charts, Holosfind personalized, for example, in colors todistinguish a client.

Thus a page is reached presenting the list of the files followed by theconsultant according to the technologies, or modules, subscribed by theclient.

The accessible technologies are, as indicated above, “HolosfindWebpositioning,” “Holosfind Connect Indexing” and “Holosfind Traffic,”the operation of which has already been described under the heading ofthe client interface.

In the preferred embodiment, “Holosfind Webpositioning,” the availabledata are the name of the client's site, his URL, the client's loginenabling him to connect to the platform, his password, the current phaseof the referencing process, and an indicator of any tardiness in thisphase.’

This page furthermore includes means to return to the welcome page,means for searching for a client in the database, means for learning thevarious times spent in the study of the different files.

It is furthermore possible to consult and/or modify the data concerningthe client as well as the state of progress of the referencing process.

Moreover, in this preferred embodiment, “Holosfind Connect Indexing,”the page presenting the list of the files being followed by theconnected consultant includes means for controlling the referencingprocedure by the “HCI” method already described.

It is well to stress here that the “Holosfind Connect Indexing” makes itpossible to carry on the referencing services paid on the results, i.e.,on the number of clicks for the purpose of downloading a page from thedifferent search tools.

However, the consultant can also access a specific module, viz.,“Holosfindoperator” which permits an operator to have functionsrestricted and adapted to his bylaws for consulting a group of clientsites pertaining to him, which are treated with white marks by thereferencing firm.

By means of the “HolosFindoperator” module, a new service,“FindOperator” can be added, specific to the operator, so that thelatter can propose it to these client sites.

“HolosFindoperator” returns statistics on the results of each site tothe operator and to his clients, and informs the operator of thestatistics on the distribution of his products in his stockyard.

The “HolosFindoperator” module sets up monthly billing addressed to theoperator concerning the sites handled by the referencing firm.

The Administrator Interface

The administrator interface described below in reference to FIG. 7,includes a first page of welcome permitting access to the differentmodules of the interface: “Holosfind Administration,” “Holosfindfindoperator,” Holosfind connect indexing” and “Free referencing”.

The module, “Administration Holosfind,” makes it possible to create,modify and delete users of the platform (client, consultant, optimizer)as well as files managed by the referencer. This module also comprisesmeans for visualizing the lists of clients, files and consultants, aswell as for creating new services such as a new module.

Furthermore, the module “Administration Holosfind” includes means forwriting new maps of the platform and for modifying the logins andpasswords of the administrators.

The “HolosFindoperator” module permits adding a new product,“Findoperator,” to consult the list of products, to add options and adda new search tool permitting express indexation.

The present invention is susceptible of many variants.

For example, a superadministrator interface can be integrated into theplatform so as to permit a single user, using a password and acorresponding login, to modify the operation of the platform and/or toconnect to this platform from an already existing interface, such as aclient, consultant or administrator interface.

In another variant of the invention, the platform includes a “licensees”interface permitting a user to have a license to use the platform for agroup of clients which are his own, for example in a manner made similarto an operator.

In a variant, the HCI module allows the control of price variationsbefore being paid by a site to the search tool for each websurferdirected to this site through this tool.

For this, this HCI module regularly calculates an average of the priceto be paid for a site to various search tools, such that, if thisaverage tends toward the price required by the referencing company, aconsultant is automatically alerted so that he may be informed of thisincrease.

1-30. (canceled)
 31. A software platform for referencing websites on theInternet indexed by research tools, comprising: a database; a clientinterface for granting a client managing a referenced website access tosaid database; and a consultant interface for granting access to aconsultant responsible for the referencing of a website to saiddatabase; and a module for providing distinct data to the client or theconsultant according to the interface used for accessing said platform.32. The software platform of claim 31, further comprising a visibilitymodule for analyzing the visibility of a website in the Internet toprovide a visibility data, wherein the visibility of said website is therate of appearance or classification of said website in a list ofresults proposed by a search tool in response to a key word.
 33. Thesoftware platform of claim 32, wherein said visibility module comprisesa specific or dedicated software for obtaining the classification ofsaid website in said list of search results proposed by indicated searchtools based on furnished key words, a list of selected search tools anda particular URL.
 34. The software platform of claim 32, wherein saidvisibility data is automatically presented in a dedicated dataprocessing format to said client via said client interface or to saidconsultant via said consultant interface.
 35. The software platform ofclaim 34, further comprising means for inserting images and means forcommenting on said presented visibility data at said client interfacelevel, and means for transmitting said images and said commentaries tosaid client via said client interface.
 36. The software platform ofclaim 32, wherein said consultant interface further comprises means formodifying the presentation of said search results at said clientinterface, and means for selecting as key words one of the following:(i) exact expressions, (ii) parts of an expression or (ii) combinationof (i) and (ii).
 37. The software platform of claim 32, wherein saidconsultant interface presents at least one of the following modules: aranking submodule for selecting data relative to the classification of aURL in regard to search engines; an evolution submodule for filteringraw data to provide data relating to the evolution of the visibility ofa website according to different periods of time so as to identifyvariations of visibility; a competitors submodule for submitting, at theclient's request, visibility studies relating to websites competing withthe client's website; a guarantee submodule for filtering said raw datarelating to said client in order to provide data relating to the natureof the service requested by said client; and a help module for providinginformation relating to the use of the platform in order to understandits operation.
 38. The software platform of claim 32, further comprisingmeans for referencing a website in a quasi-immediate manner by storingsaid website in a database of a search tool.
 39. The software platformof claim 38, further comprising means for reading the content of saidwebsite of said client, coded in HTML, and means for translating thecontent into XML document; and wherein said database of said search toolis operable to store said XML document.
 40. The software platform ofclaim 39, wherein said means for translating is operable to read thecontent of said website, generate URL addresses for all pages of saidwebsite, associate a title, key words, a description, a detaileddescription and a TAG, with each URL created, generate an XML documentgrouping together all this information, integrate an anti-spam filter toadapt the XML document to search tools, and directly submit all the dataformatted in XML language to be read by a spider of each of said searchtools, thereby permitting indexation of all of the data contained insaid XML document to be published in the lists of said search results.41. The software platform of claim 39, further comprising means forgenerating and inserting a TAG into said XML document to permit countingaccess to said website via said search tool.
 42. The software platformof claim 41, wherein said client interface displays the number ofaccesses detected by said TAG in real time, and permits consultation ofan index of principal technical terms employed.
 43. The softwareplatform of claim 42, further comprising means for selecting a period oftime and wherein said client interface is operable to display the numberof access detailed by said TAG in said period of time.
 44. The softwareplatform of claim 43, further comprising means for accessing a set ofanalyses relating to the visits to said website, wherein said set ofanalyses include the following: number of visits in one day, the numberof new visitors, or the duration of the visits.
 45. The softwareplatform of claim 44, wherein said client interface is operable topermit said client to consult a list of the search engines involved, thenumber of visits generated by each engine, and the list of the key wordsconsidered.
 46. The software platform of claim 44, wherein said clientinterface is operable to permit said client to access pages consulted bywebsurfers or a recapitulation of the navigation type of said websurferson said website.
 47. The software platform of claim 44, wherein saidclient interface is operable to permit said client to consult ananalysis of the languages in which the visits to said website have beenmade, and the distribution, in terms of time zone, of said visits in oneday.
 48. The software platform of claim 44, wherein said clientinterface is operable to permit said client to consult technicalinformation relating to said browser on platforms used by Internet usersto visit said clients' website, enabling said client to improve or toadapt said website to said browser or platforms.
 49. The softwareplatform of claim 44, further comprising a system for identifyingwebsurfer accessing said website, in real time, including at least oneof the following: a host from which said user makes a visit to saidwebsite, a page viewed by said websurfer, duration of the visit, and theitems or products visited by said websurfer, and wherein said system isoperable to permit said client to make direct contact with saidwebsurfer in real time to exchange information in text mode or to sendsaid websurfer text, sound or video files in a different format.
 50. Thesoftware platform of claim 31, further comprising means for said clientto follow the progress of the work performed by said consultant inconnection with a predetermined plan.
 51. The software platform of claim50, wherein said client interface is operable to support and offer atleast one of the following services to said client: consultation ofinformation concerning said client's website, and consultation ofreferencing and positioning information relative to a competitor'swebsite; consultation of strategic orientations decided jointly by saidclient and said consultant; consultation of title and description ofsaid client's website made by said consultant, appearing in search toolsor engines and pertinent key words by which said client's website can bereferenced; transmission of pages optimized for said client's website bysaid consultant to said client; and submission to said client websiteprovided by each search tool or engine via submission windows.
 52. Thesoftware platform of claim 31, wherein said consultant interface isoperable to permit said consultant to select different types of postingsor charts which can be personalized for said client.
 53. The softwareplatform of claim 31, wherein said consultant interface is operable topermit said consultant to access said client's website and all theservices furnished by the platform to said client.
 54. The softwareplatform of claim 32, further comprising a findoperator module forcontrolling the access to a collection of client's websites by anoperator based on said operator's imposed restrictions and terms ofconsulting agreement, said collection of client's websites being treatedwith white marks by referencing enterprise, and means for providing saidconsultant access to said findoperator module.
 55. The software platformof claim 54, wherein said consultant interface is operable to permitsaid consultant to provide statistical results on each website in saidcollection of client's website to said operator and to a respectiveclient, and provide distribution statistics of said operator's productto said operator.
 56. The software platform of claim 31, furthercomprising an administrator interface for creating, modifying andeliminating users of the platform and records kept by said consultant.57. The software platform of claim 35, further comprising a systemVirtual Brain which provides based on said visibility data, one or morecommentaries representing said consultant's reflection, saidcommentaries being determined by comparing said visibility data withvisibility data stored in said database and associated with saidcommentaries.
 58. The software platform of claim 31, wherein pages ofthe platform accessible to said client are generated from data coded inthe Java programming language.
 59. The software platform of claim 31,further comprising means for printing pages in course of consultation,providing a help program or an index of principal technical termsemployed, and downloading documents.
 60. The software platform of claim31, wherein said client's interface is operable to restrict said accessto only those modules for which said client has subscribed with saidconsultant for the associated service.